yeah cuz that's just what new york and boston need...another high priced shortstop to platoon with their same-handed, superstar shortstops

RKMeibalane

11-23-2003, 10:33 PM

What a surprise! Honestly, I don't know what bothers me more, the fact that A-Rod is trying to force his way onto contending teams, or the fact that it will probably happen, regardless of how baseball as a whole is affected.

Rodriguez is unhappy because he wasn't winning in Texas. Yet, he knew this would probably happen when he signed there following the 2000 season. He was playing on a winning team in Seattle, but he decided that money was more important to him. As far as I'm concerned, A-Rod should shut his mouth and play the game. He wanted money, and he has it. Somebody needs to teach this young man that he can't have his cake and eat it, too.

MarqSox

11-23-2003, 10:50 PM

Originally posted by RKMeibalane
What a surprise! Honestly, I don't know what bothers me more, the fact that A-Rod is trying to force his way onto contending teams, or the fact that it will probably happen, regardless of how baseball as a whole is affected.

Rodriguez is unhappy because he wasn't winning in Texas. Yet, he knew this would probably happen when he signed there following the 2000 season. He was playing on a winning team in Seattle, but he decided that money was more important to him. As far as I'm concerned, A-Rod should shut his mouth and play the game. He wanted money, and he has it. Somebody needs to teach this young man that he can't have his cake and eat it, too.
How can you possibly fault a guy for wanting to play on a winning team AND make tons of money? If he can manage it, why the heck not?

JDP

11-23-2003, 11:20 PM

I wouldn't put too much stock or faith into what comes out of Rodriguez' mouth. Remember a quote of his before his big FA sign? He was quoted as saying (more or less) that "..it's not about the money. I want to go to a team that is build for now and has an excellent farm system and will contend for many years to come."

I hope he rots away in Texas and has only the friends that his $250 million can buy...

kermittheefrog

11-23-2003, 11:40 PM

Why does everyone give Arod crap about signing with the Rangers? At the time they were a decent club and they looked like they'd be better with Arod.

Originally posted by kermittheefrog
Why does everyone give Arod crap about signing with the Rangers? At the time they were a decent club and they looked like they'd be better with Arod.

But they didn't have any pitching then and now they have even less. I don't fault him for taking the contract offer - I would - but you can't expect to win when one contract takes up that much of the yearly budget.

doublem23

11-24-2003, 12:32 AM

Originally posted by kermittheefrog
Why does everyone give Arod crap about signing with the Rangers? At the time they were a decent club and they looked like they'd be better with Arod.

Because he's a player and those greedy players are destroying the game, what with being offered those high salaries and then taking them. All the player's fault...

StepsInSC

11-24-2003, 12:47 AM

Originally posted by doublem23
Because he's a player and those greedy players are destroying the game, what with being offered those high salaries and then taking them. All the player's fault...

Ahaha. Its so much funnier when color isn't use, when you expect sarcasm its just not funny!

TDog

11-24-2003, 02:51 AM

Originally posted by kermittheefrog
Why does everyone give Arod crap about signing with the Rangers? At the time they were a decent club and they looked like they'd be better with Arod.

If he signs with Texas, he gets the huge money at the expense of the team that can't invest in pitching. He can also put up some bigger numbers because big numbers are easier to achieve for players who aren't playing under pennant-race conditions. After a couple of years he can demand he wants to be traded a top team that didn't want to pay him the big bucks to play on a winner. If the Rangers have to eat part of his contract or don't get anything in return, it only hurts the Rangers and their fans.

I was at a Sox game a few years ago when people were heckling A-Rod about his paycheck. I can see something wrong with signing for the big bucks if he doesn't plan to fulfill his contract. (unlike the Albert Belle contract that provided for an out after two seasons). Two fans behind me said they didn't see anything wrong with him signing for whatever he could get. Of course, when shortstops go to arbitration, arbiters look at what other shortstops are earning to look at worth. Arbitration has a bigger impact on payroll than free agency.

Iguana775

11-24-2003, 08:47 AM

Originally posted by MarqSox
How can you possibly fault a guy for wanting to play on a winning team AND make tons of money? If he can manage it, why the heck not?

cause he is the one that signed the huge contract with a crappy team. live with it!

bestkosher

11-24-2003, 09:26 AM

I can see it now, the yankees are in a bidding war with boston,a nd a-rod says the wHite sox are who i like to drive his own price up again, then new york and boston fight again, and we get nothing.

kraut83

11-24-2003, 09:35 AM

Tom Hicks is the douche that actually signed him for that much in the first place. Anybody would have signed that deal in a heartbeat.

Irishsox1

11-24-2003, 12:08 PM

A-Rod is flat out greedy. He wants his millions and to play on the Yankees or Red Sox. Screw him and his contact. Everybody gets what they want, Pay-Rod wanted millions and he got it. Now, I wonder if the Tribune still is reporting that he's going to the Cubs?

RKMeibalane

11-24-2003, 12:47 PM

Originally posted by MarqSox
How can you possibly fault a guy for wanting to play on a winning team AND make tons of money? If he can manage it, why the heck not?

My problem with A-Rod is that he had a chance to do exactly that in SEATTLE, but he chose Texas instead. Now, because things haven't worked out, he wants to play in New York or Boston.

I don't blame players who want to win and make money. I do, however, blame those who think it's right to force their way onto other teams whenever it becomes inconvenient for them to remain with their own team.

A-Rod strikes me as one of those players who thinks the "grass is always greener on the other side." It is this sort of attitude that's killing Major League Baseball.

Mammoo

11-24-2003, 01:31 PM

Any team that takes on that contract (except the Yankees) is doomed to failure!

maurice

11-24-2003, 02:08 PM

Originally posted by RKMeibalane
I don't blame players who want to win and make money. I do, however, blame those who think it's right to force their way onto other teams whenever it becomes inconvenient for them to remain with their own team.

IIRC, it was reported that Texas approached A-Rod about a trade after determining that their spend-spend-spend approach wasn't working. It looks like he responded to their overtures with a list of winning teams to which he would accept a trade. If these reports are true, A-Rod is blameless.

As for other posters who think that A-Rod was "greedy" to sign the absurdly bloated contract Texas offered him, only a fool or an Englishman would turn that deal down. It was significantly larger than any other offer and came from a team that was committed to spending money on other players. Unfortunately for A-Rod, they spent it on the wrong players.